Animal welfare legislation has expanded significantly worldwide over the past two decades, but substantial gaps remain between legislative intent and practical enforcement in most jurisdictions.
Legislative progress in animal welfare represents decades of effort by scientists, advocates, and policymakers and has produced real improvements in the lives of billions of animals. Yet the gap between what legislation requires and what is actually happening on farms, in transport, and in slaughterhouses remains significant in most countries. Strengthening enforcement, improving monitoring systems, and maintaining pressure for continued legislative improvement are all necessary to translate legal progress into real welfare gains for individual animals.